WIFI disabled - Greyed out since iOS 7 update on iphone 4s

Applying hairdryer until you get warning worked for me. (If still under warranty i recommend visiting apple store first)

I actually spoke to someone from Apple Executive Relations about this issue after I had suggested a recall. He basically said that Apple is aware of the problem and monitors these things but this issue hasn't reached a critical mass needed for something like that.

Personally I think it's unclear where the problem rests on the software-hardware spectrum, and while there's a lot of anecdotal stories here, I think we would know about it if it affected even a large enough minority.

Of course I, like all of you, am still left with a semi-functioning phone that will no longer be accepted for trade in programs which I'm very displeased about. But it was nice that they at least acknowledged me and the issue with a phone call.

https://www.change.org/petitions/apple-inc-release-an-explanation-on-the-ongoing -iphone-wifi-problems#share

please sign up and let your voices be herd. I'm also in the some boat as all of you and the only way anything can be done is for all of us to stand together. email this link on to friends and family who are having the same issues.

Seems like it might work for me too. After a restart, the button "un-greyed", and the phone immediately presented a list of networks. No freezers or hair dryers involved. Crossing my fingers now that it is just a software bug. Unbelievably stupid if Apple have been conning customers (and themselves) to throw away phones that work ok as long as you give up something that noone needs anyway.

I am on version 7.0.4, btw. Never had an issue until a couple of days ago, when wifi grew worse by the hour until the button greyed out tonight.

Ps his was what worked:

Changed to ON for Reduce Motion: Setting/General/Accessibility/Reduce Motion

Restart

Popped the champagne too early, it's off wifi again...

Hi guys, i'm at the same boat :-/ My phone is only 3 months old because it was replaced for a new one after other failure and now I have issues with wifi. Unfortunately it is out of 2y warranty now so I cannot change it anymore. I read lot of forums about this and because I had nothing to lose I've tried freezing and heating methods. After this experience i can say that this seems to be a serious HW failure as freezing method worked but only for few minutes. The hearing method worked for two weeks for me (i was really happy) but it started to happen again. Apple will never confess it is fault of their hardware but we all know it. But what we can do? Throw our super expensive devices into a trash ? How I can be sure this will not happen with 5s too. I don't want to throw it out after a year! I don't know but if there are brakes on a car starting to failure, the automobile producer call everybody and fix it for free of charge even the car is 10 years old but i know, this is not life treating situation so we are ****** off. Apple please face it and give us some statement, otherwise we can not trust you anymore. Very disappointed :-(

I also celebrated after I heated the phone and it worked... But only for two weeks :-( I'm afraid there is no permanent solution for us :-(

Hmm, I just found a post (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1650743?answerId=7905828022#7905828022) describing similar issues but for 3G from 2008! This is ridiculous. 5 year later and there are still same issues and no response from Apple. Owners of 5 series should be aware...

Well, friends, this is my story.

Purchased iPhone 4s in Spring, 2012, everything worked perfectly.

Then, in late 2013 I updated my iPhone to 7.0 - a week later, WIFI button started being disabled (GREYED OUT).

I asked for help on Apple Support - they advised to do a re-boot, which led to nothing but deletion of my personal files, which I could not restore in iCloud due to some software error. Well, ok then. After that Apple Support suggested to repair the phone in the local service shop (I am currently residing in Russia).

Local authorized service told me that my WIFI module was damaged, possible due to overheating, caused by some chipset mailfunction. Possibly caused by the latest update to iOS 7.0. The damage was fixed by replacement of the WIFI module.

A month later - this WIFI module crashed again - again, it was replaced.

Another month later - IT CRASHED AGAIN. Replaced.

And one additional month later - it crashed again. Yesterday I had my phone back from service with a brand new replaced WIFI module.

I switched off my iPhone and will not use it again.

What can I say - shame on you Apple. It is very upsetting, how Apple behaves towards its loyal customers.

Will I ever use iPhone again?

Frankly, I do not know, since I can see any solid alternatives, and I got used to my phone. We'll see.

It is very strage that your chip was replaced 4x and same issues occured. I've just read one post suggesting reflowing method, but I'm not sure if it will really work permantently because of story of yours.... This can't be coincidence that so many people with 4s are affected, especially after iOS 7 upgrade. Let's hope 7.1 will fix this.

reflowing method? can you explain?.

I think the issue here is the new software over-cooks the WiFi module and it shuts itself down. You can fool it into switching back on again with the hairdryer workarounds, but eventually your chip will over heat again if it was vulnerable to the issue the first time. So maybe you had better ensure it doesn't overheat - so switch Reduce Motion to ON, ensure Bluetooth is off, location services off when using wiFi and not use the wifi for processor intensive things -maybe video playback over wiFi and other activities that warm up your phone. or Apple admit the issue and swap 4S for a 5c

Strange, I cannot post the link. But I will try to explain. I think the heat is the trigger. The chip is connected to a board with a solder. This is just theory but I think that with constant overheating the solder change its properties and it could be that at some place it will loose the connections with the chip or board. This make the wifi comletelly disabled or reconnecting. If you heat it again, you will reflow the solder and connection could improve - therefore wifi works again. For how long it could depend how good you reflowed the solder holding the chip. Hair dryer method over the EMI shiled and back cover is not the best solution but could help for few weeks. Much better would be to dissasembly the board, use thermal shield on everything except the chip and use heat gun to reflow only the chip. This could be just physics and thermal expansion of materials. But this is only my theory and theory of few other people about it. Could be something completelly different though...

Thanks Misiak,

I doubt a hairdryer would ever be enough to melt solder. Secondly it is a very blunt and blind way of trying to possibly fix an issue which no-one can confirm is a solder issue. Thirdly why would it fail after a few weeks? Has anyone said categorically that this works, and that this is what the 3rd party repair shops do? I would guess the repair shops will simply swap out the wiFi boards.

The hairdryer method might work, but for maybe a different reason - it triggers the overheat sensor and that then re-boots the wiFi chip/board the next time the phone is started. So that would also explain why it is a temporary fix, until the 4S overheats again.

Apple will know the answer.

Sure, hair drayer is not powerfull enough. Heat gun is, but one should be very carefull with temperature. Nevertheless, heat from hair dryer could make a microscopical changes in solder therefore it can help for some time. I don't know if there is any overheat sensor - I doub't about it at all. But how would you explain situation that wifi is still connecting and disconnecting in irregullar intervals until it disable completelly ? If there is just switch on/off this would never happen and you would have wifi either work or not... And my wifi is not always disabled, sometimes it is on but can't pick any wifi networks and if you go to settings you can see phone hangs and there are crash logs... Then I take halogen lamp, use it for few minutes at the back of phone a wifi is back again for some time... Something very strange is happening here.

But these are just polemics, only Apple knows as you said and maybe not... Hopefully iOS 7.1 will not be so power hungry and produce less heat and our chips will work again...